Poll: Suffolk’s most popular library books revealed on World Book Day

Marion Harvey, manager of the Ipswich County Library, picks out the librarys most popular books from 2012.

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UNDERCOVER military police embroiled in conspiracy theories, dishonoured journalists solving crimes in desperate bids for redemption, and atrocities of war told through the eyes of an intrepid horse.

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Suffolk libraries have revealed to the EADT that these were the stories that captured people’s imaginations across the county last year.

Michael Morpurgo’s War Horse topped the children’s books chart, while The Affair by Lee Child was the most sought-after adult novel.

Second to that was Joanna Trollope’s Suffolk-based Daughters-in-Law, in which family rifts rise to the surface as a controlling mother feels under threat of being usurped by the advent of three daughters-in-law.

Meanwhile, Stieg Larsson’s The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo was a hit with e-book readers, and proved to be the most coveted title.

The books that topped the county’s charts in 2012

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Top 10 adult books:

1. The Affair – Child, Lee

2. Daughters-in-law – Trollope, Joanna

3. Summer of Love – Fforde, Katie

4. Private London – Patterson, James

5. Worth Dying For – Child, Lee

6. Minding Frankie – Binchy, Maeve

7. 10th anniversary – Patterson, James

8. The Thread – Hislop, Victoria

9. The Impossible Dead – Rankin, Ian

10. Dead Man’s Grip – James, Peter

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Top 10 children books:

1. War Horse – Morpurgo, Michael

2. The Gruffalo – Donaldson, Julia

3. Winnie’s Midnight Dragon – Thomas, Valerie

4. Aliens Love Underpants – Freedman, Claire

5. Captain Duck – Alborough, Jez

6. We’re Going On A Bear Hunt – Rosen, Michael

7. Good Knight Sleep Tight – Melling, David

8. Penguin – Dunbar, Polly

9. Maisy Goes To The Library – Cousins, Lucy

10. The Hunger Games – Collins, Suzanne

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Top 10 eBooks:

1. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo – Larsson, Stieg

2. The Girl Who Played with Fire – Larsson, Stieg

3. 61 Hours – Child, Lee

4. Killing Floor – Child, Lee

5. The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets’ Nest – Larsson, Stieg

6. Die Trying – Child, Lee

7. Private – Patterson, James

8. The Enemy – Child, Lee

9. Persuader – Child, Lee

10. The Town House – Lofts, Norah

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Alison Wheeler, the general manager of Suffolk Libraries, said: “It’s interesting to see these figures which show the variety of books which were popular with readers of all ages.

“It’s good to see that the second-most popular book last year, Daughters-in-Law by Joanna Trollope, was set in Suffolk.”

British thriller writer Jim Grant, better known by his pen-name Lee Child, published The Affair in 2011.

It was the 16th book centred on the stoic elite military policeman Jack Reacher, set before the majority of his travails through war-torn fields of Iraq and Lebanon.

Third behind Joanna Trollope’s novel was Summer of Love by Katie Fforde, in which a city worker throws herself into a new life in the country where she meets an old flame.

Meanwhile, The Gruffalo by Julia Donaldson was the second-most popular children’s book, where a quick-witted mouse learns all monsters are not quite as scary as first imagined, while Winnie’s Midnight Dragon by Valerie Thomas was third.

Stieg Larsson’s The Girl Who Played with Fire – sequel to The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo – was second in the ebooks charts, while another follow-up – 61 Hours by Lee Child – was third.

Meanwhile, Suffolk Libraries are playing their part in the biggest celebration of books and reading across the planet as part of World Book Day.

World Book Day is celebrated in over 100 countries and there are several events being planned across the county today.